Broccoli Soup, Vegan and Gluten Free

Perfect for when you need something warming, tasty and full of goodness – nothing beats a good soup. I really love how good, wholesome food can lift your spirits to. Sitting here at the end of a lovely, lazy week off contemplating returning to work I can’t think of anything else I’d rather be chowing down on right about now. That and it’s stupidly easy to make, which helps , if you’re having a lazy week.. or you’re just generally a slightly lazy person like me.

Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Balsamic Glazed Mushrooms, Vegan and Gluten Free

Just recently I’ve been taking part in a whole bucket load of twitter chats, if you’ve never done one before they’re great. Just imagine a room full of people, all talking over each other and you’re trying to listen to all of them at once and reply in meaningful ways. Yeah, that. Sounds manic, which it most definitely is,  but you can get some truely great ideas and meet some really nice people. Last week I was part of #VeganRecipeHour which is every Thursday 8-9pm (GMT) and the topic was sweet potato, it was so inspiring to see the hundreds of really different ways people had used the sweet potato and so I thought I’d make something a little different with them to! That is how these little bits of yum came to be!

Vegan Pancakes, American and British style!

It’s nearly Shrove Tuesday a.k.a stuff yourself silly with pancakes day – which is quite far from the point of Shrove Tuesday, but hey.. PANCAKES! How do you like yours? Thin, thick, sweet, savoury, fruity, chocolaty, sugary, lemony.. plain-y?

Meat-Free Chilli

I love a good chilli, in fact I love everything Mexican! The flavours are just so big and bold that you can’t help but smile with each mouthful as it warms it you up from the inside. For this chilli I’ve made it using a meat-substitute mince (Quorn, specifically) and I know some of you have your reservations about such things but I find this is a perfect thing to sever up to my family, most of which are happy carnivores, where we can all enjoy a good meal together without the usual quips about being meat-free.

Potato Cakes

You know when you’re out shopping and you really should have eaten before you left because all you see when walking around is fast food, cookies and sweet shops? Well, in a round about way that’s how this recipe came about. Managing to avoid temptation meant I needed something quick, easy and tasty for lunch and that’s where these scrummy little potato cakes come in.

Chickpea and Aubergine Curry

Aubergines! Why oh why have I never made a recipe for you lovely lot with Aubergines? It has to be said that I absolutely love them, whether just on their own or mixed up with other flavours. As some of you may have noticed I love versatile foods and Aubergines are exactly that: use them for texture, to thicken, to make sauces silky smooth or chuck a load of bold flavours at them to make your dishes super tasty. You can even make some uber healthy ‘burgers’ by just slicing them up and grilling the bajeebus out of them with a touch of cayenne pepper.

Roasted Sprouts

This recipe is so simple it hurts, in fact it’s more just like a piece of advice rather than a recipe it self! How many of you always boil your sprouts? I mean, it’s just what you do. Years and years and years (well.. I’m really not that old.. but as long as I have been alive for) I’ve always had my sprouts boiled, or very occasionally, steamed. I just assumed that’s what you did with them and so whenever I made them I done the same. Until now that is!

Mushroom and Chestnut Parcels

I love this time of year, with all the celebrations, events, nights out and great company. But of course, let’s face it, food can be the star of show! When I initially became vegetarian Christmas dinner was a little awkward, my family of die-hard meat eaters not really knowing what to cook for me and to be honest I didn’t really know either! Since then we’ve found new and tasty ‘alternative’, meat-free, Christmas faire and in fact my mum and sister both enjoy that more than the Turkey!

Shortbread Biscuits, perfect for Christmas!

We are officially one month away from Christmas (gulp!) and me and Mel are starting to think about presents for friends and family. One thing we love to do is make our own gifts to give to people, it just means more that way. These cookies are great as presents, especially if you need a present in a rush.. just whip up a batch, pop ’em in an airtight jar and you have nice home made gift!

Roasted Squash and Tomato Pasta

Pasta, it’s amazing, right? I mean you really can mix any old thing together, stir it through some pasta and BAM you’ve got yourself a cheap and easy meal. This is exactly how this recipe got started, I was rummaging through the cupboards, not really sure what to make (unfortunately my recipe inspiration has been waning just lately) and I figured it’s going to have to be pasta as we seem to have an abundance of the stuff! So I start to gather together the usual bits and bobs for a simple tomato sauce and then it strikes me.. quite literally.. on the foot (ouch!).. squashes!